New Arrival
by avatarfan82
Summary: Korra and Mako have just welcomed their brand new son into the world. After some recovery time at Air Temple Island, they are now ready to return to their home in Republic City. Will the new family be prepared for what's in store after they are safely back home?


Mako stood over the tiny bassinet that held his newborn son. The little boy was sleeping soundly, his tummy rising and falling in tune with his breathing.

"Hey, little guy. You having a nice dream?" Mako said softly as he gently stroked his cheek. The baby turned his head toward the touch he felt, sighed, and then fell back into the deep, rhythmic breathing pattern that made Mako feel at ease.

"Are you talking to him in his sleep again? You know he can't hear you, right?" Korra said, exiting the bathroom and brushing her flowing brown hair. She eyed Mako with a mischievous curiosity as he stood up and walked toward her.

"You don't know that. He could be understanding everything I'm saying." He protested. Once he had reached her, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closely to him.

"Well, I think you're wasting your time. Plus, I'm pretty sure I'll try to kill you if you wake him up. You know how cranky he gets when his sleep is disturbed." Korra explained, sliding her arms around his neck and placing a warm kiss on his lips. Mako smiled as he replied,

"Sounds like a certain avatar I know. She's not very pleasant in the morning either." He teased and Korra playfully tapped his arm with her hair brush before pulling away to finish tying back her hair and packing the rest of their belongings.

As she stuffed extra blankets and cloth diapers into her knapsack, she reflected on all of the changes that had happened recently. She and Mako had taken up temporary residence in a private area of Air Temple Island normally reserved for guests staying on extended vacations. Because Katara (who was her midwife) had recently moved in with Tenzin and his family to be closer to them, it only made sense for Korra to stay nearby during the final month of her pregnancy. Mako, refusing to let her go alone, had decided to also come along, commuting to Republic City for work. Lin had been gracious enough to modify his patrol schedule somewhat to allow him to only have to come into work 3 days a week and he was grateful to her for that. No one was willing to risk her going into labor in Republic City and not being able to be transported in time for Katara to be able to deliver the child. Korra had initially insisted that she be able to continue her work in the city with the council as well, but Tenzin put his foot down. He refused to let her travel so frequently in her condition, so he agreed to go over the meetings with her when he returned home and pass on any information to the council that she wanted to share.

About 2 weeks after their arrival on the island, Korra had gone into labor in the evening. About 7 hours after that, they were finally able to meet their son, Kai. He came out screaming at the top of his lungs and Tenzin commented that he took after his mother in that regard. After a few days, he began to open his eyes more regularly and it was apparent that this was another area in which he had taken after his mother. His icy blue eyes were always wandering around his surroundings, but lingered on his parents every time he saw or heard them. However, his skin tone and hair color appeared to be more of a match to his father.

Korra had been an emotional wreck the first few days after Kai arrived, crying inexplicably every time she saw or heard her son. Mako had shed a few tears at the moment his son was born, but immediately went into "daddy" mode afterward. Every time a certain item was needed for his wife or his child, he was always ready and waiting to hand it over. Katara was even more impressed than she thought she'd be with Mako's helpfulness. The airbender children had also been of great help to the new family. Jinora, now 6 months from turning 18, assisted Katara with supplies and certain simple procedures having to do with the baby. Ikki, Meelo, and Rohan were less involved, but were still happy to play with the baby whenever Mako and Korra needed a break, although Mako rarely let him out of his sight.

Now, nearly 3 weeks after the birth, Mako and Korra were ready to head back to Republic City to settle into their home with their son. Katara had requested that the family stay a bit longer after Kai was born, just to make sure Korra recovered well and that the new parents were as prepared as they could be for parenthood.

Just as Korra was momentarily lost in her own thoughts about the events that had transpired in the last month, a loud shriek startled her out of her own head. She involuntarily jumped and spun around to see Mako reaching into the bassinet and picking up Kai, who seemed very unhappy with the situation.

"Mako, what are you doing to our son? I thought I told you to let him sleep?" she said, trying to keep the irritation from entering her voice, but slightly failing.

"Hey, he's the one who started screaming. I just got him as soon as I heard." Mako defended himself, as he held the little boy protectively in his arms.

As much as Korra wanted to be angry with Mako for waking Kai up (somehow she know he wouldn't have started crying like that without his father poking and prodding at him), she couldn't deny the smile that crossed her face as she watched the two of them together. She knew Mako would be good at taking care of and providing for a child because he had done so for so long with Bolin. But this new nurturing and tender interaction she saw from him was a pleasant surprise. In spite of herself, she felt tears begin to fill her eyes and she quickly swiped them away. Mako, always with perfect timing, happened to glance over at her just as her arm went across her face. His contented expression faltered slightly as he said, "You okay?"

"Yeah, just these stupid hormones still messing with me." She said halfheartedly, though she knew they had little to do with her new inability to control her emotional expression. Mako walked toward her, still holding Kai, who was now silent and peering inquisitively at the ceiling. Without a word, he took her hand and led her to the bed, where he sat down and motioned for her to join him.

"Hormones…that's not a bad excuse. But, I'm waiting for you to tell me what's really bothering you." He said simply, grabbing her hand with his free hand. She shook her head, smiling slightly.

"It's not that something's bothering me, Mako. I just never thought we'd be in this position. I mean, you sitting there holding our son…it's just overwhelming." She said, fresh tears springing into her eyes. Korra couldn't figure out where all these waterworks were coming from all of a sudden, but she couldn't seem to stop herself.

Mako was also a bit caught off guard by this emotional version of his wife (she had been relatively calm during the pregnancy), but he also understood what she was saying. He leaned over and kissed the side of her head as he wrapped an arm around her.

"I think I know what you mean. It's pretty amazing, isn't it?" he murmured into her hair and she nodded.

"Korra! Mako! It's time to go. We don't want to be caught in the air at nightfall." Tenzin's stern voice drifted in from the other side of the door.

"Guess that's our cue." Korra said standing. She took Kai from Mako and made sure to swaddle him snugly. Mako grabbed the sling that Pema had made for them and slipped it around Korra's shoulders. Then, he began to grab bags and place them near the doorway as Korra carefully slipped her son into the sling and shifted him slightly so that he was comfortable. Within moments, he was fast asleep, his little body curled up toward her chest.

As soon as Mako opened the door, Tenzin was there ready to assist with transporting bags to Oogi. Once everything was loaded onto the bison, including the new little family and Tenzin, they took off for their short journey back to Republic City.

* * *

"I must say, he did very well on his first time flying. I'm impressed." Tenzin said, peeking into the sling at the sleeping baby attached to Korra. She nodded as she stroked his dark black hair.

"He slept the entire time. I think his father interrupting his nap this morning had a little something to do with that." Korra said, loudly enough for Mako to hear as he unloaded Oogi.

"Then you should be thanking me because I helped make our trip that much more smooth." He said, a playful tone in his voice. Korra just shook her head as she grabbed a bag and walked up to the front door of the house.

"Hey, Mako. Why don't you help Korra out with her bag and get the baby settled. I'll finish unloading." Tenzin encouraged as he took the bag that Mako was holding in his hand and ushered him toward the front stoop.

"Um, okay. Thanks, Tenzin." Mako replied uncertainly. Then he just shrugged his shoulders, pulled out the house keys, and unlocked the door.

The moment the door was opened, the lights in the living room clicked on and a loud chorus of voices yelled. "SURPRISE!"

Korra happened to be standing behind Mako and jumped at the outburst. Kai shifted and stretched in his sling, but never woke up from his slumber. Mako had taken a defensive stance, ready to protect his family, but slowly relaxed once he realized what was going on.

"Are you serious?" he asked as he stepped further into the room with Korra close behind.

"Yes! This is Kai's welcome home surprise party!" Bolin shouted excitedly as he ran toward his brother and tackled him into a strong hug.

"We're so glad you made it back safely, dear." Senna said, walking up to Korra with Tonraq following close behind.

"Mom? Dad? I thought you guys had to get back home last week." Korra said in shock as she hugged them and then handed Kai over to her mom.

"We did go home, but then we came back today for the party." Tonraq announced proudly. "Did we fool you?"

Korra chuckled as she took the sling off and set it down in a nearby chair.

"I can't believe you are all here." As she looked around the room, she saw all of the airbender children, including Jinora, Pema, her parents, Bolin, and even Katara.

"Well, what are we waiting for? I thought this was supposed to be a party?" Tenzin said from behind her. She turned around and smiled at him. He tried his best to keep his face stern, but couldn't hold that expression for long. Eventually, he smiled back and Korra hugged him.

"Thank you, Tenzin. I know this was your idea." She said.

"And what makes you think that?"

"Because, Meelo told me about it yesterday." She replied.

Tenzin's face turned a dark shade of red as he bellowed,

"Meelo! Get over here this minute!"

Everyone chuckled as a red and yellow ball shot through the room and out the door.

"No way! I'm outta here!" Meelo cried as he took off. Tenzin created his own air scooter and chased after the boy, threatening punishments the entire time.

Mako turned back to Korra and raised an eyebrow.

"So you already knew about this. Why didn't you tell me?"

"Well, I wanted it to be a surprise." She responded, giving him a wry smile.

As the couple stood together holding hands, they looked around their home and watched as their loved ones cared for their son and set out food and music for the festivities to begin. Neither of them said a word, but they both recognized how lucky they were to have such amazing family and friends.

Eventually, Mako broke the silence by saying, "Well, I guess I know who not to tell when I have a big secret."

"Who, Meelo?" Korra guessed and Mako shook his head.

"No…you! I can't believe you ratted him out to Tenzin!"

Korra responded by hitting him hard in the arm. Mako pretended to be hurt, but then swept her into his arms and kissed her. After they parted, Korra said, "I think you're trying to distract me so I don't hit you again."

"I have no clue what you're talking about." he said, winking at her.

Then the new parents smiled at each other and joined in on the festivities.

* * *

**Sorry, I didn't know exactly how to end this one shot, so I apologize if it's awkward. Anyway, hope you like it still and I look forward to hearing any reviews! :)**


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